The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-25
INSANE ON HIS WEDDING DAY.
Attempted Suicide Of Young Man
Ruined by Gambling.

dashing stock and provision Spectator,
came home from California to fulfill
promise of marriage with Miss Fanny
Eckert, which was to take place at noon on
| Thursday. The most elaborate prepare
| tons had been made, and the relatives and
! friends of the young lady waited with every
emotion of pleasure for the happy event.
| But Wade's recent ill-luck in the specu-
| lative field drove him to despair. and rather
than face the disappointment which would
/ inevitably follow, he attempted suicide on
| Wednesday, and now lies hopelessly insane
| at the home of his parents, some distance
from this place. Walter is the only son of
j. Werner Wade, who soon after his mar
| riage fell heir to a large fortune. After
| the young man had completed his collegi-
ate studies and graduated with high
honors, the question came up as to what
| profession would be most desirable for him
| TO follow. His father strongly advocated
| the practice of law, while his mother fav-
ored his entering the ministry. The young
man decided to take a trip TO California be
| fore settling down, and so informed his
parents. They entreated him to remain at
home, but all TO no purpose. Appealing to
hisfather he said: loan me 81 900 and
| will return ii with interest" His father inn
mediately filed out check for the amount
and handed it to him. The next day, after
| spending an hour with his intended bride, he
started for California in pursuit of fame and
| fortune. FOur years afterward his family
and friends were surprised to see him arrive
| home. He entered his fathers house as
! though his absence had been but for day.
| drew up chair to where his father sat, and
taking from a wellfilled pocket book 81 ,240,
he handed the money to his father, saying:
Here is the borrowed money, with per
cent. interest" This was all so rapidly done
that Mr.. Wade had hardly time to realize
who it was and what it meant AS he
related to his parents, he had met with
phenomenal success, and by shrewd and
| conservative speculation, had amassed over
81, 000,o0
After few days stay, during which
| time he renewed his pledges of love 10 Miss
Eckert, who in the four years of waiting
never doubted his sincerity, he departed
| again. Letter after letter was received by
| her, in which he boosted Of his continued
success, and said that he was now perfect
| ing arrangements to come home to remain.
| The wedding was therefore fixed for June
| IT, But his character was too weak to re
| sist the social temptations that now beset
him. An irresistible fondness for wine and
champagne suppers took possession of him,
| which was soon followed by every form of
wild and reckless dissipation. Then luck
turned against him, and he began to lose
| money, until his fortune was nearly all
swept away. Depressed in spirits the dash
L
appearance was detected but by the aid of
| a stimulant he managed to assume his old
| time spirits In this way the suspicion that
might otherwise have been excited was
| overcome
On Wednesday afternoon he remarked to
his father that he desired to write some
| business letters. and for that purpose he re-
tired to his room, giving instructions that
his privacy be not intruded upon. Every
thing in the way of preparation for the
| wedding next day had reached a point of
completeness, and at 5 p. IN. friend of the
groom called to see him. As the matter
| was urgent, his father went up staiRSand
called him. He repeated the call, and, re-
ceiving no response, forced the door open.
1 To his horror, he beheld his son suspended
from halter strap, with the other end
| knotted around the top of the bedpost,
almost dead from strangulation. He quickly
cut the strap, placed the body on the bed,
and then quietly but quickly summoned a
physician. The doctor said that another
minute would have produced death, and
that, while he might possibly survive, he
would be hopelessly insane. The business
letters which he was supposed to be writing
tells the rest of the story:
DEAREST FANNY-For more than ten years
have kept you patiently waiting for what you
always called the supreme moment of your life,
when you were to become my happy bride, and
now, while you are busily engaged in preparing
for the event, stand on tho threshold of the
grave writing Won an eternal farewell have both
deceived and disappointed you. Since my return
home you have, no doubt, noticed my detected
| appearance, for which, Of course, there must be
night and confess the reckless dissipation have
reveled in, and the squandering Of the fortune
which had hoped would contribute much to
our comfort and happiness; but it would be
cruel to go that far and then conceal from you
the plans | had arranged for suicide decided.
therefore, to let matters take their own
course, and content myself By writing the cause
of the trouble. But will torture your feelings
no longer by keeping you In suspense. The pref
ace already given Is sufficient, and will be ex-
plicit. Gambling, that bane of fame and for
had a constant run of ill-luck The ardor of
gambling unlike every other passion is rather
Increased than diminished by loss and disap-
pCatment. Without being warned, therefore,
by llsuccess, i still went on until the very last
dollar OF my money was gone. then began to
draw gradually on the $4,000 you placed in my
hands for safe keeping until the day of cur
marriage in small amounts. Following the bent
of my evil genius sum after was taken,
and all alike buried in that accused vortex
which had already swallowed up so much from
me
My friends, hearing of my misfortune, shun-
ned me. refusing to raise even q dollar to meet
my obligations. The day of our wedding was
| rapidly approaching, and Row the thought
drives me mad. / came home not to keep my
, promise, because under the circumstances that
is impossible, but to die bankrupt and disgraced.
last December, and more recently in wheat and
pork. A detailed account Of the transactions is
unnecessary, as the newspapers have furnished
| IL in full. However, the money Is gone, and
am the victim, paying the penalty with my life,
which cheerfully sacrifice rather than see you
suffer single disappointment financially. For
get and forgive NE, darling, and may the God
Of consolation comfort you in the trying posi-
ton unfortunately caused you to be placed in
Farewell, Fanny. farewell. Remorsefully but
affectionately yours, WALTER.
The following was addressed to his
parents:
MY DEAR PARENTs-Only those who contem-
plate self-destruction can feel and realize the
full extent Of the remorse IL produces. With
every preliminary arrangement perfected for
my marriage tomorrow, | find myself one Of
those unfortunate creatures about to end a mis-.
cradle existence Considering the crcum-
stances which surround the sudden termination
Of my wretchedness, my feelings can therefore
better he imagined than described. While you
are looking forward with much happiness for
an event, which little you now think can never
take place, am preparing for death, and to be
my own executioner. You are startled but there
is worse 10 come. ] am bankrupt, penniless
| have lost every dollar of my own, and also the
$4,000 which, you remember. Fanny placed in
my hands for safe keeping thought, foolish
ly so. that the fortune which favored me imme
diately after my first efforts would always be
mine, and | grew reckless. The hand Of
fate raised itself against me, and
utter ruin is the result. With every
oI,ac aI